Reality is not my thing
by FancyBunny
Summary: Ichiro, Ume is her name. A sixteen year old girl with a long time love for video games since her life is a dull. Every time she leaves home, her world seems to expand more than something behind the television screen. Maybe she can learn a thing or two with reality. (Note: I don't own any of the Knb characters. Only my original characters.)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

The room barely had light, only the television screen is the sixteen year old female's light source. Her hands clutch to her blue game system's controller. Sitting on the carpet floor, the teen's grey eyes glue on to the television screen as the colors seems to brighten her grey world. Her body is covered by her blanket that she removes from her bed like a cocoon. She grins when her opponent's health is slowly down as her hands feverously occupy themselves with a combo. The female holds in her breath when her last attack knocks down her opponent's health to zero. She mentally screams in happiness at her victory. Her celebration ended when a familiar theme song caught her attention. She looks down at her right feet to see her purple flip phone's screen lit up in the dark room.

The screen shows the caller's name, she growls in annoyance when she reaches for her cell phone. She flips open the phone and puts it near her ear.

"Hello..." She greets in a monotone voice.

"Ume-chan!" The person at the other side of the phone shouts out. Ume had to pull her phone away from her ear to prevent being deaf. After the person finishes shouting, she stands up on her feet to throw the blanket on her bed. Her grey hair was messy after covering her head with her blanket. She adjusts her blue sweat pants and white tee-shirt. Ume returns her right ear on the cell phone again.

"Is there something you need?" She asks while turning off her game system and television after saving. Ume hears her friend let out a deep chuckle.

"Same as always Ume-chan." He comments, "No, I'm just checking how you are doing. It's been a couple of weeks since I heard from you."

Ume sighs, "Seriously? I'd been busy with a new game I had. It won't kill you if you didn't talk to me for a couple of weeks." She decides to put away a few game cases on the shelf since they take up space on the floor. After cleaning up, she took a seat on the edge of her bed.

"I know but I want to check if you are okay. We had known each other since grade school." He answers over the phone. Ume pauses then speaks up again, "Don't worry, I'm fine. We can hang out someday when you are free from the evil clutches called school."

The female teen heard her friend chuckling over the phone, "Okay okay, we could hang out when I'm free." Ume heard another male voice from the background calling to her friend.

"Ah, Sorry Ume-chan! I have to go! Talk to you next time!" He said before the line cuts out. Ume closes her cell phone then scratches the back of her head. "He is still the same as always." She comments with a tiny smile on her face.

Ume turns to the small picture frame on her nightstand. The old photo had two kids, a grey haired girl of seven years with twin pigtails. She wore a sky blue dress with black sandals. The small girl pouts when the black haired boy beside her held two fingers at the back of her head, motioning bunny ears on the pouting girl. The boy wore a dark green shirt with blue shorts and green sneakers. Behind the children is their old hangout of the park with a playground.

A yawn left her lips when she looks at the red clock that is hung on her wall. Ume looks at the clock to be 6:34pm. _'I shouldn't have stay up last night…'_ She thought as her body lies on the bed. A soft chime got her attention. She holds her phone to look at the screen.

' _One new message.'_ It says. Ume flips her cell phone to see the message.

 **"Don't stay up too late Ume-chan and make sure you eat something! I don't want Ume-chan to be sick! With love from Ta-kun!"** The message said with happy emoticons at the end.

 _'This guy…it's hard not to be sick with you around.'_ Ume thought. With a new set of clothes and eating food, she decides to retire early from her long marathon of playing video games.

* * *

"Ugh…what time is it?" Ume mutters out when lifting her head from her pillow. She turns to her clock, it's 7:39 in the morning. A knock on the door caught her attention. Ume watches her door open to reveal a forty year old woman with her black hair tied up into a tight bun. She wore a crème white blouse with blue jeans. The woman held a spatula in her left hand as she waves it at Ume.

"Ume-chan. Time to get up, your teacher is coming here soon." The woman warns her daughter. Ume yawns then slowly gets out of her bed.

"Okay…let me get ready." Ume said. Her mother nods and let her daughter alone to get ready.

* * *

Ume walks to one room in the household, her 'study room'. Her study room had a round table with a bookshelf with textbooks. The other bookshelf had a large collection of various types of books for entertainment. She wore suitable clothing as an elderly man greets her. The elderly man wore black square glasses. He looks like in his sixties; still have his white hair on his head.

"Now then Ichiro-san, take out your notebook to write down for new lessons today." The old man said, he motions the whiteboard facing a bored Ume. She reaches for a mechanical pencil and starts listening to her teacher's lesson with a few class paper works as a result

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so pumped to tackle a school life anime in fanfiction form! This is a second anime I tackled that includes school life. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this! Please be patient with me when I try to upload another chapter for this fanfiction. Thank you!**

 **-Fancybunny**


	2. Popularity is not important

**Popularity is not important**

* * *

Endless high pitch squealing makes Ume's ears bleeding. Not really made her ears bleed but it makes her ears hurt. She stands a couple yards away from the noise when she slowly approaches it. Today, she changes into a blue hooded sweater. Under her sweater is a white tee-shirt with black jeans and blue sneakers. Her hair is pulled by a red hair band. The high pitch squealing comes from a large group of teenage girls that are crowding around one café's entrance. Loud noises make her ears hurt since she prefers quiet places with little noises.

Sadly for this unlucky grey hair female, this is her favorite place to get her chocolate muffin before returning home. Her challenge for the day is to get past the horde of teenage girls. She mumbles out excuse me to squeeze past the female crowd. Ume succeeds her first mission; her body hurts a little from squeezing past the bodies.

* * *

With a silent sigh of relief, she is able to enter the café. Ume mumbles to herself quietly about crazy females. In front of her, she saw a tall back of a blonde male looking at the café's menu. The blonde male mumbles about which one to order, taking his time. Slowly, Ume felt irritated when she is facing an indecisive blonde with a squealing horde of females behind her at the entrance. The female cashier only sighs happily when looking at the blonde male, not caring if he takes forever. She focuses on the chocolate muffins displaying at the glass display.

 _'Come on…pick one.'_ Ume thought, annoyance runs in her blood now. The blonde male felt a cold chill down his spine. He looks down to see a silence female looking at the glass displays of various baked goods.

"Sorry, are you ordering?" He asks. Ume heard the female group behind her gasping and whispering.

 _'Oh my! He is talking to her!'_ A female from the group whisper to her friends.

 _'She is so lucky!'_ Another female adds. ' _She is so plain looking…'_ One comment was heard from the group.

Ume internally sighs, _'I feel embarrassed being born as a girl…this is annoying.'_ She nods to the blonde male. The male gave her a wide smile, Ume swore she saw sparkles around the male when he smiles at her. Ume only blinks in response. The male seems confused since the female population would be blushing at the sight of Kise Ryota. Kise gave Ume a short laugh then motions her to the cashier.

"You can go ahead of me. I'm just picking which one to get." Kise explains to the quiet female. The gray hair female gave him a short nod to order. The cashier quickly gave Ume her order of a chocolate muffin with ice green tea. She waits for her iced green tea. Not able to take it any longer, Ume taps on the male's right shoulder. Kise looks at Ume again.

"You can order the special or their iced coffee, both of them taste good." Ume suggests. The female crowd gasps with angry whispers.

"This girl! She acts so friendly with Kise-kun!" said one angry fangirl. Kise blinks then laughs, "Maybe I should do that!" He orders the café's iced coffee. Ume picks up her iced green tea and left the café before the crowd of angry females notices her. The only thing she left behind is her wallet that lay out forgotten on the café's counter.

* * *

Ume decides to go to the park to eat her muffin and drink her green tea. She felt at ease when she is away from the noisy café. The grey hair woman suddenly thought of the blonde male from the café.

"Probably he is someone important?" She thought out loud. Ume tries to think about who he is but no ideas are coming up.

"Hey!" One voice calls out to her. She turns her body to look behind to see the blonde jogging towards her. Ume watches Kise stand up straight to give her another smile. Her left eyebrow rose when seeing that smile again. It looks plain to her; probably he tries too hard with his smile.

"Can I sit here with you?" Kise motions to the bench that Ume is sitting on.

"It's a free bench." Ume shrugs her shoulders as she answers. She scoots over to the right side of the bench to let Kise took a seat on the bench beside her. They sat in silence until Ume heard Kise speaking up.

"Do you know who I am?" Kise asks. Ume looks at the male at her side then scratch the back of her head.

"No, not really. Sorry." Ume answers truthfully. She watches the male become crestfallen. Suddenly, he switches to happy.

"I'm Kise, Ryota. A model." Kise points at himself. He waits for the female's reaction to him being a model. Ume blankly stares at him. "Really? I don't really keep track of models, superstars, or anything like that." She said.

"Eh…?" Kise only said. Ume took a sip of her drink, ignoring the tearful male beside her.

"Who cares if you are a model? You are a person like me and everyone else." She comments. Kise stops his crying to listen to the female's comment. Ume pulls out her handkerchief from her sweater's right pocket. "I never knew models could be dramatic as you…" She said as she lends it to the tearful male who accepts it.

"So mean! Ichiro-chii!" Kise shouts out as he wipes the tears away from his eyes. Ume tilts her head in confusion, "Ichiro-chii? I never tell you my name." Kise returns her handkerchief to Ume. She puts it away in her jean pocket.

Kise reach into his pocket to pull out a familiar item to Ume. Ume takes her wallet from his hand, "Ah…I left it there. Thank you." She thanks the male. Quickly, she puts her wallet in her sweater pocket and pats it to make sure it remains there.

"Sorry, I only look at your I.D. card." Kise apologizes. "Let's start over." He reaches out his left hand to Ume.  
"Kise, Ryota. I'm a student and part time model." He introduces himself. Ume shakes his hand, "My name is Ichiro, Ume. I'm homeschooled."

"Eh? Why?" Kise asks. Ume thought for a moment, Kise took her silence the wrong way.

"Ah sorry, Ichiro-chii! You don't have to tell me if you don't want too." Kise apologizes. Ume waves off the apology. "It's fine. I don't feel like sharing stories right now, Kise-san." She drinks more from her iced green tea. Her grey eyes only look out at the landscape.

"I prefer quiet places…school felt too much for me. This is one of the places I like when there is no one around." Ume said, forgetting Kise for a second. Kise looks at the grey hair teen in silence. He looks at the scene with Ume.

The wind gently blows past the trees. Their leaves sway with the winds current. The park right now is untouched by humans for now as Ume took in the beauty of nature.

"I guess you are right Ichiro-chii." Kise commented. He looks down at his cell phone in his hand, suddenly standing up from the bench.

"Ah! I'm late! I have to go now. Bye Ichiro-chii!" Kise said goodbye to the confused female. He shakes her hand then left. "See you next time Ichiro-chii!" He shouts out with his bag close to his side. She watches the back of Kise when he jogs quickly out of the park.

Ume tilts her head as she disposes her empty cup and crushed white wrapper of her muffin in the trashcan that is beside the bench. She took out her cell phone from her jean's pocket. One message from Ta-kun shines in her screen. She presses the button on her cell to read his message.

 **"Hey Ume-chan! I want to make sure you eat before you forget again! You are going to be sick if you don't take care of yourself! Make sure you sleep too! Answer back when you are free to talk, I will be waiting for you! – With love, Ta-kun. :D"**

She smiles a little from his use of a happy face at the end of his message. Ume presses a button to respond his message.

 **"Don't complain Ta-kun. At least you are working hard in school and practice. I can't do anything like that…Don't overwork yourself either. I can look after myself. I'm going to sleep, have a good night Ta-kun. –Take care of yourself, Ume-chan (- 3-)."**

With a click of send, she closes her cell phone. As she stands up from the bench to walk to home, she thought of her day. Ume rubs the back of her neck when thinking about Kise's strange nature.

"Models are weird…" Ume whispers when her head starts to hurt when thinking about the squealing girls.

"I hope I will never hear girls squealing ever again." Ume grumbles to herself.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you won't Ume-chan. Fangirls are vicious in their own ways. Thank you all for reading this first chapter! I will update more when I have time away from my summer job. Please be patient and have a great day everyone!**

 **-Fancybunny**


	3. Strange people

**Strange people**

* * *

After Ume finishes her day of home school, she left her home to visit Maji Burger for dinner. Her mother decides to leave the house to visit her friends for a girl's day out. The sixteen year old female wore a large black sweater that goes an inch past her hip with skinny jeans and black sneakers. Her hair is clipped at her right side by dark blue pins. She stands at five foot five. Ume's wallet is secured in her sweater's belly pocket with her cell phone.

With a silent yawn, Ume avoids bumping into people on her way to Maji Burger. She saw the light up fast food place just ahead of her. She enters the building to see three people ahead of her. Ume looks up at the menu above the cashier's head while waiting for the line to move along.

"What to get today…?" She mumbles quietly to herself. The young woman felt a presence behind her but ignores it since the fast food place is popular with people.

"Hello ma'am. Can I take your order?" The female cashier asks. Ume walks to the counter and orders one hamburger, medium fries, and a vanilla milkshake. The cashier counts up her order and Ume paid the total of her food. She got her change as a result with a milkshake in her hand.

With a receipt of her order, she stood and waits for her order. Ume didn't take a sip of her drink since she prefers to drink it with her food.

"I'm sorry sir…we run out of vanilla milkshake. Maybe you can get a soda instead." The same cashier apologizes to one male student with a black school uniform. Ume turns to the male student with light blue hair. She looks down at her vanilla milkshake then sighs.

'It looks like he needs it more than me…' She thought when she saw the male student held a blank expression on his face but had a sad atmosphere around him.

"Um…excuse me."Ume interrupts the cashier and the male student. The blue hair male looks at Ume. She held out her vanilla milkshake to the male student.

"You can have mine instead. I didn't drink it yet." Ume said. The male student politely said no to Ume's offer but she remains stubborn with it. They finally agreed that the male student buys her a soda in exchange for her milkshake.

* * *

"Thank you for the milkshake." The blue hair male said in a monotone voice.

"It is fine. Besides it looks like you need it more." She replies. The male student and Ume sit down at an empty booth. The gray hair female took a seat across from him. She still waits for her order while the student drinks his milkshake.

"Kuroko, Tetsuya. Please to meet you." He introduces himself.

"Ichiro, Ume." Ume said. She heard her order number as she stands up from her seat. Ume asks him to save her seat before leaving to get her food.

* * *

Ume held her tray of food in her hand and walks back to the table where Kuroko is. Her eyes caught another male who took her spot. The male is taller than any man that she ever seen in her lifetime. His hair is two tones of red with weird looking eyebrows. The red hair male looks surprised to see the quiet blue hair male. When she approaches both of them, she heard the male whispering something to Kuroko.

"Oh, is this your friend Kuroko?" She asks the quiet male.

"Friend? He is not my friend." The red hair male answers her question. Ume tilts her head in confusion, "Huh?"

"Forgive me, Ichiro-san. Kagami-san took your seat…" Kuroko apologizes. They decide to move to a table booth for four people since their table only had two chairs. The female silently eats her hamburger with fries to let the young men talk to each other. She watches Kagami throw one of his wrapped hamburgers in Kuroko's hand.

"I don't like guys who suck at basketball but you've earned yourself one of those." Kagami explains with a smile on his face. Kuroko thanks Kagami and opens the package of his hamburger to take a bite out of it. The red hair male turns his attention Ume.

"Who are you?" Kagami asks. Ume chews on her food before swallowing it. "My name is Ichiro Ume. You guys can call me Ichiro-san." Ume said. She watches the red head male's cheek turn a bit pink.

"K-Kagami,Taiga. Nice to meet you… Ichi-san." He introduces himself to the female with a hint of nervousness in his voice. Ume blankly stares at Kagami, ignoring his unusual nervous side. She only concludes that he is nervous around people or the female species but it's only speculation. "What?" Kagami asks. Ume shrugs her shoulders. "I guess Ichi-san is fine…I don't care either way." She said quietly, not caring to correct people of her name.

* * *

"That was nice. Thank you Kuroko and Kagami." Ume thanks them both as they stand outside of the front door of Maji Burger. She looks up to see the afternoon turn into nighttime when they leave the place.

"We can walk with you on the way home, Ichiro-san. It is dangerous to go alone." Kuroko said. Kagami almost shouts at Kuroko for making the decision for him but nods in agreement. Ume walks ahead of Kuroko and Kagami as she stops to wait for the light to turns green for walking. Both male students are a couple steps away from the female. When the light turn green to walk, Ume hears both of them talk to each other. She ignores the conversation since it is none of her business to pry. They stop at the other side of the street as Ume turns to both of them.

"Well my home is that way." Ume points to the left side of the street. She bows her head to them. The female takes out her flip phone from her pocket to check for any miss calls or texts. Luckily, she haven't nothing at the moment.

"We can exchange phone numbers." Kuroko suggested. Ume was hesitant but nods in agreement since she sees them as good people in her book. Three of them exchange phone numbers in their contact list. After Kuroko and Kagami add Ume in their contacts, Ume waves goodbye to them. Her lips form a tiny grin on her face, _'They are interesting people. I would like to hang out with them if possible.'_ She thought and walk to her home.

* * *

When she opens the front door of her two story home with her house keys, Ume heard two different types of barks. Closing the door behind her, she kneels down to her knees on the wooden floor to greet her two large dogs, Aoi and Saito. Aoi is a two year old Australian shepherd who greets her owner happily back home. The female dog licks Ume's right cheek and yips in a happy tone when Ume scratches the back of her dog's ear. Saito barks once to calm his excited friend; Aoi ceases her happiness to let Saito welcome his owner. Ume pets Saito's head as his tail wags in happiness. Saito is a four year old German shepherd who holds a reputation of being a level headed dog that could calm down Aoi's happy-go-lucky nature.

"How are my best buddies in the world?" Ume asks them both. She watches both of her dogs' wag their tails in happiness. Aoi and Saito follow Ume to her bedroom and lay down next to her bed side. She let them stay in the room as she left to take a shower. Saito's right ear lifts up when he heard a chime on her nightstand. Aoi stands up and walks to look what it is on her nightstand. The chime comes from her cell phone that lay on her nightstand.

* * *

Aoi tilts her head in confusion then stares at the strange item. Ume returns from her shower, changing to her pajamas. She grabs her cell phone to flip it open. The teen sits at the edge of her bed to let Aoi rest her head on her lap, her bottom planted on the floor. Ume pets her dog's head while looking at two new messages, one from Kuroko and the other from Ta-kun.

 **"Thank you once again, Ichiro-san for the milkshake. I owe you. –Kuroko."**

 **"It's fine, you paid me back with soda. That is enough payment, Kuroko-san. – Ichiro."**

 **"If that is fine with you. Good night, Ichiro-san. I have school tomorrow. Kagami-san said good night also. –Kuroko."**

 **"Huh? Kagami-san has my number. I guess he is busy with something. Have fun tomorrow both of you. –Ichiro."**

Ume finishes her conversation with Kuroko to read her friend's message.

 **"Hey Ume-channn! Are you free this Friday? We can hang out since I'm not busy with school on that day! Reply back as soon as you can! :D –With love Ta-kun!"**

 **"Do you have practice after school? I don't think you have time since you are busy with after school practice tomorrow. (- w-") –Ume-chan."**

 **"It's fine! Besides I never had seen you in a long time! I hope you don't mind waiting until we are done…**

 **(; W;) -Ta-kun."**

 **"…I guess it doesn't hurt to wait for you. Where and what time you want me to show up? – Ume-chan."**

 **"You can meet me at my high school gym around three pm. Ume-chan! I cannot wait to meet you again! ; W; /) Oh yeah, you don't mind if I bring someone with us? I want you to meet someone! –Ta-kun."**

 **"It's fine. I'm going to retire for the day. Make sure you go to sleep. –Ume-chan."**

 **"The same to you Ume-chan! Good night and count sheep! :P –With love Ta-kun."**

Ume shakes her head and closes her cell phone. She looks down at Saito who wags his tail. Aoi removes her head from Ume's lap to walk towards her large pillow at the other side of the room. Aoi lay down on her bed to go to sleep for the night. "I met two people at Maji Burger, they seem like nice people." Ume said to Saito. Saito walks to Ume and press his wet nose to Ume's hand. Ume pets on top of his head, "Remember Ta-kun?" She asks. Saito's tail wags slowly in response.

"We are going to hang out on Friday with a friend of his. I wonder who this person is." Ume said. She frowns a little when she suddenly thought of Ta-kun's friend being a female. Her heart hurt a bit, Ume quickly shakes her head. _'It's fine. Who cares if Ta-kun's friend is a boy or a girl? He could be friends with everyone with that personality of his.'_ She thought.

With that thought, Ume felt her heart felt like it's been poked by a needle. Saito felt Ume's hand shaken a bit when she remains silent. The German shepherd licks her hand in comfort. Ume gave a quiet laugh. "You're right, Saito. I shouldn't be sad. I'm glad that Ta-kun has friends in his school." Ume comments. "He should spend time with them instead of worrying a girl like me. Silly old Ta-kun…"

Saito let Ume pet him for a while. His ears perk up when she whispers in his left ear. "Probably that's why I care about him a lot...he stood by my side ever since we are kids. I cannot find anyone else who can make me happy like him." Ume whispers.

* * *

 **A/N: I cannot handle fluff...it's too cute for me (like candy could rot your teeth if you eat too much of it!). How is everyone? Thank god I finish this second chapter for Kuroko no Basket. Sorry if it's too slow for you guys! I like to build up the characters with their story. Please be patient and I will upload as soon as I can.**

 **I love you all!**

 **-Fancybunny**


	4. Happiness behind his eyes

**Happiness behind his eyes**

* * *

It felt foreign for Ume to see the gates of a high school as she walks in front of it. The metal plate shows the high school's name in gold lettering, Shutoku High. For her, it's been years since she step foot on school property. Last time she attends school it was the first year of middle school before she took her education in home instead. Her ears were occupied with bright red headphones, her rock music kept her entertained. Shaking her head from her memory, her hands hid themselves in her zip up blue sweater's pockets. Her tiny mp3 player occupies the right side of her pocket. At least her black jeans are comfortable like her blue sneakers. On her left shoulder is a white tote bag with a koi fish at the edge of the bag.

Her right thumb pauses her music to let her other hand fish out a printed out school map from her left jean pocket. Slowly she unfolds her map with ease. At least she brought a map with her before leaving her home, not wanting to bother her friend during his practice. Looking down at the school map in her hands, she mentally takes note of notable landmarks on school grounds. _'At least it's not complicated…'_ Ume thought. She looks up to take a deep breath. Her feet carry her forward in school property.

Standing in front a large building, her headphones were down to her shoulders. Ume caught faint noises of squeaking sneakers from inside. She looks down at the map in her hands to check if it is the right place. It seems to be the right place since it is the gym. Ume shrugs her shoulders, _'It doesn't matter if I'm wrong or not. I could just ask the people inside to point me in the right direction.'_ She thought. Ume opens the door to see male students wearing their sports uniforms as they practice on the court. Her grey eyes saw basketballs in a metal cart at the corner of her eye. Ume looks around to see her surroundings. She saw the male students in two teams and playing against each other. It seems that the men didn't notice the female teen standing at the doorway of the gym.

Her face scrunches up in annoyance when a loud whistle rings throughout the gym. She turns her left to the right side of the gym to see a grown man to be in his forties stand up from his bench to call out to the basketball team.

"Alright team, take a small break." The male announces. Ume took this time to approach the grown man. It seems her presence is known when the men saw her. The coach looks down to see the grey hair female.

"Can I help you with something?" He asks. Ume bows her head, "Forgive me for interrupting. Is this the basketball team of Shutoku?" The coach nods to her question. Both of them are interrupted by someone else.

"Ah! Ume-chan!?" One familiar voice calls out to her. Ume turns her head towards the source to see a black hair student wearing his team uniform, her childhood friend Takao, Kazunari. His grey with a hint of blue eyes seem to shine in happiness when he saw her. Suddenly, Ume is in the male's embrace. Ume let her friend hug her since it seems to be normal occurrence between them. It doesn't help Ume that her heart is beating like crazy with him. His five foot nine height easily beat Ume's five foot six height. The males of the court look shock to see both friends to be in close contact.

"Takao-san, who is this person?" One of his team mates asks them as Takao let Ume go. Takao stands behind Ume to put both of his hand on her shoulders.

"This is Ume-chan, my good friend since we are seven years old." Takao introduces the quiet female to his team. "Oh right! Shin-chan!" He calls out. The green haired male responds to Takao's call as he glares at the smiling male. Ume raises her right eyebrow at Takao's nickname.

"Don't call me that, idiot." The green hair male points it out. He walks from the middle of the basketball court to the rest of the team. Takao walks to the annoyed male as he put a hand on his right shoulder.

"Ume-chan, this is Shin-chan! Shin-chan, meet Ume-chan." Takao introduces both of them to each other. The green hair man pushes up his black glasses, ignoring Takao.

"My name is Midorima, Shintaro. Don't call me Shin-chan, Takao-san." Midorima said. Ume nods then bows her head to him.

"It's nice to meet you Midorima-san. My name is Ichiro, Ume. Thank you for being friends with Ta-kun." Ume thanks him. Midorima pauses for a second then spoke up.

"What is your horoscope, Ichiro-san?"

"Hm…?" Ume was caught off-guard by his strange question. "My star sign is Cancer." Takao starts laughing. "Ume-chan, Midorima is a cancer sign too. He is follows Oha Asa every day." Her friend explains. Ume nods in understanding from this new information, "I see…"

"Today's lucky item for cancer is a white tote bag according to Oha Asa." Midorima nods in approval when he saw her bag. _'I didn't know that since I only bring this bag randomly to carry my stuff…'_ She thought. The whistle breaks their conversation to notify the members of the team to start practicing again. Takao tells her to take a seat at the bench.

"Watch me play Ume-chan!" Takao calls out when he runs back to the court to practice again. Ume had a small smile on her face as she shakes her head. "Idiot Ta-kun…" She comments quietly. The teen remains silent as the team's coach watch the team play. Her eyes watch the team play against each other. Ume could feel Takao play with all of his heart when he becomes support for Midorima. She could see why Takao said that his team is the best since Midorima's strength is his shoots from any place in the court. Takao seems to be the support for Midorima's chance to score points easily. Ume leans forward to place her chin on the palm of her right hand.

"They're strong…" Ume whispers to herself. Her focus now is on Takao since she becomes interested in her friend's position for his temporary team. _'I don't know much about basketball like Ta-kun but I can see how much it means to him.'_ She thought.

* * *

At the end of basketball practice, Ume waits in her seat for Takao and Midorima to finish changing to their school uniform. She stands up from the bench when Takao and Midorima approach her. They left the gym to walk towards the school gates.

"Where are we going?" Ume asks as she notices something in the distance. When they got closer, she blinks at a bike that is connects by a wooden cart. "This is our transportation, Ume-chan!" Takao said with a smile. She is not sure if her friend is pulling her leg or it is actually true. Ume doesn't see any lies behind Takao's voice.

"Who is riding the bike?" Ume asks only to receive her answer without words. Midorima gets in the cart and Takao is the person who drives the bike. Both males look at the shocked female. "Come on Ume-chan. Get in the cart." Takao beckons her. Ume looks at Midorima who looks away from her.

"We don't have all day, Ichiro-san." Midorima said. Ume sighs then gets in the back with Midorima.

"This explains Ta-kun's stamina…" She mumbles out. _'I need to buy Ta-kun something in return for this…'_ She takes a mental note. Soon they are moving towards the street. The wind brushes past them as many pedestrians walking along the sidewalk. Ume turns to the driver of the cart. "Ta-kun, you are a good basketball player." She comments.

"Thanks, Ume-chan! I'm glad that you see that. Shin-chan is good too since he is part of the Generation of Miracles." Takao said. Ume tilts her head in confusion, "Generation of Miracles? Ta-kun, you know I don't follow along famous groups or people."

Ume listens to Takao's explanation about the Generation of Miracles. Soon she let Takao talk to Midorima about something. Ume ignores their conversation to look at the road ahead, losing herself to her thoughts. She has to admit, Midorima is a strong player. She doesn't really care if he has an impressive title to his name. Sometimes without titles, the person doesn't have anything to back up his or her worth of earning it. Ume rather sees a person work hard to earn it.

* * *

Ume broke out of her thoughts when their transportation came to a stop. She looks around to see Majin Burger. Slowly, she gets out of the wooden cart to follow the males inside of the fast food joint.

They order their food and sit a four seat booth. Ume sit close to the wall of the booth and Takao sit at her right side. Ume and Takao face Midorima who is at the opposite side of the table. Ume repays Takao by buying him medium size fries with his hamburger. She listens to Takao's stories with Midorima. Midorima sometimes interrupt Takao when her friend mentions something embarrassing about him. It seems that Takao have a good school life in Ume's eyes. Taking a sip of her vanilla milkshake, Ume ignores a bit of pain in her heart when thinking about not being part of Takao's life like before. She throws out that annoying thought out of her head to be happy for him instead.

* * *

"Nice meeting you, Midorima-san." She said good bye to the green hair male. Both of them drop her off at the gate of her home. Ume notices that the sun is almost gone for the day. Midorima nods and remains in the cart, giving them time by themselves.

Takao walks Ume to the front door of the house. Both of them take a seat at the steps of the door. "We should hang out again next time Ume-chan." Takao said with a smile. Ume shakes her head with a smile on her face. "Probably. If you are not busy Ta-kun, you know that need to put time in your school and basketball practice. " She points that out. Takao nods with a smile on his face; his right hand rubs the back of his head. Silence falls between them. Takao let out a heavy breath.

"You should come to Shutoku High, Ume-chan. It's nice there." Takao said. Ume shrugs, "I cannot get use to school like before. I prefer being homeschooled."

"As long you are happy then Ume-chan. Still I would like you to attend Shutoku High with me. Shin-chan would like that too." Takao gave her a short laugh and pats her back.

"Huh? Midorima-san barely knows me." Ume said, confused about his comment.

"I have a feeling that he would like that since both of you are fellow cancers." Takao smiles at her. Both of them stand up from the steps to give each other a good bye hug before parting ways. Ume watches Takao ride the bike away with Midorima in the cart. Ume tries her best to calm her fluttering heart. ' _I think my heart couldn't take Ta-kun's habit…'_ She thought. _'Someday he will be the death of me…'_

* * *

 **A/N: This is chapter is done! This is hard to put together since I need to take time to get Midorima's character. Sorry if he seems out of character! To tell my readers...I hope you stay patient with me since I'm busy with my summer job and family/friend stuff. Thank you for reading and have a great day!**

 **-Leave out your thoughts or any thing that seems out of character for you guys in the reviews. I will take note of them in future chapters.**

 **-Fancybunny**


	5. Is basketball special?

**Chapter 4: Is basketball special?**

* * *

Another day for the teenager, she walks past a crowd of people when crossing the street. Ume held her totes bag at her side. She finishes her assigned homework for the day. Sadly, she thought her game would be longer but she finishes it in three days non-stop. Her hands rest in her sweater's pockets. Ume walks past a few stores to find a crowded street. She let out a quiet sigh to squeeze past the horde to stand in front of her favorite store, Gamer's Luck. The building only had two floors with a large glass window at the left side of the door to show different posters of various video games.

Ume opens the front door and enters; she saw a few males looking at various games that are displayed in glass. She knows the male cashier to be the owner of the store. The owner seems to be in his early thirties with aqua colored hair. His clothing is a dark green short sleeved shirt with black jeans. His hair is pulled back by a black hair band to show his pierced silver ear lobes. One silver ear cuff is on her left ear. To regular people, he seems like a bad person. To his friends and customers, he is a friendly person who works hard to make his store be on top. The owner waves hello to Ume. Ume notices his fingers were decorated with different rings. She approaches the counter, "Nice to see you again, Takashi-san." She greets him.

"Welcome back, Ichiro-san. So how you like the game?" Takashi asks, placing his chin on the palm of his right hand. Ume shrugs her shoulders. "The game seems alright with the game play, the hardest level seems easy. The story is a bit dull to my taste and it doesn't have any memorable characters. I think that's all." She explains. Takashi frowns at the new information, "Another dull game huh? It's been out for a couple of weeks."

She looks at the display to find anything interesting. "It's only based on my views; probably the game is good to other people." She added. Takashi chuckles at the teenager. "I should try it then when I have time." He said. Their friendship is strange to some people since they grow on each other based on their love for video games.

"I'll just take this for now." Ume points to one psp game called Nobunaga's conquest. "Good taste, It is a classic." Takashi comments then pulls out the game for Ume to purchase. He puts the game in a plastic bag and hands it to her when she gives him the required price. She say goodbye to Takashi and left the store.

* * *

She puts her game in her totes bag for safe keeping. The female teen ignores the people walking past her. Ume pauses to see a small market; she decides to purchase a snack and a soft drink. She left the store with her purchased goods to the park.

There are a few people present in the park, a couple of children play in the public playground while their parents watch carefully. Ume took an empty seat away from the playground to face a basketball court. She watches a couple of males using the court for entertainment. Ume opens her mango flavor soft drink to take a sip. Next she held a bag of miniature kit-kat bars, flavor of green tea. Ume opens one small pack of her kit-kat to take a bite.

"Ah, Ichiro-chii!" One familiar male voice calls out to her, Kise. His voice causes her to jump in surprise, almost choking on her tasty treat. Ume smacks on her chest to breathe again. The male jog to the female's left side. Sweet air fill her lungs again as she coughs uncontrollably. Quickly Kise hands Ume her drink to let her ease her sore throat. Slowly her coughing ceases when a minute past by. Kise's eyes widen to see the red faced female as she glares at the model.

"Don't scare me…I could almost see the light…" Ume croaks out. Kise rubs the back of his head as he mutters out an apology. Ume shakes her head at the male.

"What are you doing here, Kise-san?" Ume asks. She raises her right eyebrow to see the model again in a grey school uniform. Kise claps his hands together when he remembers his reason. "I'm going to Seirin High school to see my friend from middle school!" He answers with a smile on his face. Ume puts away her snacks in her bag so she doesn't go through that horrible scene again. She remains silent then nods.

"I see…I hope you have fun then" She said. A chill run down her spine when she saw Kise's eyes sparkle for a second. "Let us go to Seirin, Ichiro-chii!" Kise said.

"No thank you, Kise-san." She politely declines his invitation. Ume remembers his fans being protective of Kise. She finishes her soft drink and throws it away in a nearby recycling bin. "Please Ichiro-chii! I need some help to find the way to Seirin." Kise said. Ume looks at the blonde with a tiny frown.

"Use your phone for directions." Ume point that out. Kise tears up to change Ume's mind but she remains firm. She almost cringes when seeing Kise becoming emotional for no reason. For the female, it makes her feel a bit guilty to cause someone to cry by her words.

"Fine…Let's go." Ume mumbles, giving in to Kise's invitation. Instantly, Kise wipes away the tears from his eyes with a wide smile on his face. He pushes her forward to walk together to Seirin High school. Ume's right eye twitches in anger. _'This sneaky fox…he tricked me with those crocodile tears.'_ She thought angrily.

* * *

She regrets accepting Kise's invitation when her ears ring from the girl's annoying squealing. Ume ignores the female crowd surrounding him, walking forward to find any map of Seirin High school. Kise tries to call out to her but she blocks him out for a small revenge for tricking her. A male student walks past her but he stops when Ume calls him out.

"Excuse me, where is Seirin's basketball team practicing?" Ume asks the male. The student points the gym to Ume as she thanks him. The male student nods then left her alone.

A hand on her shoulder made her look up to a tired looking, Kise. "How were your fans?" Ume asks, hiding her smile with her right hand. Kise cries out from her cruelty, "At least they leave me alone for now." Ume shrugs her shoulders then walks ahead.

"Come on, the basketball team is at the gym." She said. Kise jogs to the female's right side with his hands in his pants' pockets.

The noises of squeaking shoes against the wooden floor caught her attention as she enters the gym. Ume watches the tall males of the team practice a moment until the brunette female blows on her whistle. The team stands in front of a petite brunette female. She saw two familiar males in the group. Behind her she hears many light footsteps, Ume looks behind her to see Kise to be around many female students. She shakes her head, _'I can't believe I'm part of this gender. ' _

Ume steps away from the horde to turn back to the basketball team watching them. "Uh, I didn't mean for this to happen." Kise said when he signs a female's student's binder.

 _'This is a price of fame…a large crowd of fans that won't leave you alone.'_ Ume thought. She approaches Seirin's basketball team.

"Ichiro-san." Kuroko greets her. Ume bows her head to Kuroko, "Nice to see a familiar face."

She turns her attention to Kagami and raises her left hand to greet him. "Hey Kagami-san, how is your training?" Ume asks. Kagami gave the female a high five greeting. She flinches when feeling the strength behind Kagami's high five. Kuroko greets Kise as the model tells the team to wait for him.

* * *

It's been a while until Kise is done signing autographs for his fans. Ume spends her time to chat with Kagami. Kise approaches the basketball team. Ume heard one member with glasses asks the model, "What are you doing here?"

"When I heard our next opponent was Seirin, I remembered Kuroko-ichii coming here so I thought I'd come say hi." Kise explains. "We were the best of friends in middle school."

Kuroko blankly stares at Kise. "Not any more than anyone else." Kuroko said bluntly. Kise suddenly cries out, "You're so mean!" He hides his face with his left arm as tears run down his cheeks. Ume blocks out one member reading out Kise's talent in basketball during his middle school year from a magazine. She looks beside her to see Kagami walking away from her to grab a lone basketball on the floor. It seems that everyone except Ume focus their attention to Kise. Ume's eyes widen to see Kagami threw the ball towards Kise. Kise caught the ball with one hand as he drops the ball.

"Ow! What was that for?" Kise asks. Ume only stares at the blonde male, _'At least he pays attention to his surroundings.'_ She watches Kagami try to Kise to play against him one verse one in basketball. Kise rejects Kagami's invitation. The model pauses for a second then agrees to a short game. The quiet female tilts her head, trying to see if Kise or Kagami is stronger than the other.

 _'I guess I put my money with Kise-san…experience can help on the long run.'_ Ume concludes in her mind. She decides to sit on the wooden stage for a better view. Kagami and Kise only use one hoop for their game, a match of which one scores the most. Kise looks the left and runs to the right side, tricking Kagami in the process. Ume's mouth slightly opens in surprise when seeing Kise score a point with a familiar move.

 _'A copy cat? It seems an almost perfect imitation of Kagami's movements.'_ She thought when remembering Kagami scoring a point from earlier. Kagami sits on the floor, shocked by Kise's power of copying. Kise turns away from Kagami to walk towards Kuroko. "Come join us. Let's play basketball together." Kise asks Kuroko.

"It's a waste of talent to stay here." Kise added. Kuroko only politely rejects Kise's offer. The model is shocked of Kuroko's answer.

"This isn't like you. Winning was everything. Why didn't you go somewhere better?" Kise asks his friend. Ume raises an eyebrow at Kise's reason for basketball. She watches Kagami walk toward Kise with a smile on his face. Ume could almost feel Kagami's motivation to play basketball.

 _'I guess Kuroko-san and Kagami-san have their goal in mind.'_ Ume thought. _'I guess it's nice to have a dream or a goal…' _

* * *

Ume left with Kise and left the Seirin's school grounds. She stretches her arms to the sky to ease her stiff body. "I didn't know Kuroko-san is your friend." Ume comments to break the silence between them. "Kuroko-chii is my friend since Teiko middle school." Kise said with a smile on his face.

 _'Small world then…'_ She thought. Ume pauses when hearing a small gurgle noise out of nowhere. She turns to a frozen Kise, his cheeks slowly turn pink as he let out an uncomfortable laugh. His arms wrap around his stomach as his stomach cries out from hunger.

"Come on…" Ume mumbles out. She walks ahead of Kise, he quickly follows her. They soon arrive to a ramen restaurant. Luckily there are not much people present in the restaurant to destroy the peaceful atmosphere. An older woman of late twenties greets both of them. Ume and Kise took their seat at the Ramen noodle bar to see two chefs at the kitchen. They look at the menu and order their food. Both of them sit next to each other in silence.

"What basketball means to you?" Ume breaks the ice. Kise looks at the female then leans back in his seat.

"Winning a match against my opponents is what it means." Kise answers.

"What if you lose a match then?" Ume asks. Kise remains silent then spoke up. "I don't know. My team in middle school never lost before."

They both receive their order. Ume grabs a pair of chopsticks from a wooden cup and splits it in two. Her chopsticks grab a few noodles before eating it. Both of them eat their food until their bowl is clean. Ume orders another bowl of ramen. Kise orders a plate grilled fish. She pauses on eating to say what is on her mind.

"I think losing is important too like winning. It helps the person learn from their mistakes and grow from that." Ume said. "It is part of life to learn and evolve. If winning is important to you, then I won't say anything else. " She didn't turn to look at Kise's face, only to resume eating her food. Ume shots down Kise's offer to pay both of their orders. They resolve the problem by paying their own order separately. Both of them say farewell to each other as they part ways.

 _'I guess people don't listen to someone's advice until they experience it by themselves.'_ She concludes when walking back home.

* * *

 **Extra:**

Riko, the brunette coach of Seirin watches her team practice again after Kise and that strange female left the gym. The coach study the grey hair female when she starts a conversation with Kagami. Her mind tries to calculate her target. It seems to take a while until the results come in about the grey hair female.

 _'Her body is not athletic, it's average at least.'_ Riko thought. _'It seems she doesn't take care of her health that much.'_ She grumbles at the female's chest size of a C cup size. Soon she looks up at Ume's eye level. Ume caught Riko looking at her and waves at the surprised coach. The grey hair female mouthed out a question to Riko.

 _'Are you the brains of the team?_ ' Ume asks. Riko didn't answer Ume's question, silence only answer the grey hair teen's question. Ume turns back to Kagami, resuming her conversation with him. The Seirin coach only studies the female for further information.

 _'…Her level of intelligence is higher than a first year high school student. No, it's almost third year student level. Where did she come from?'_ Riko questions quietly but had no answers.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter is doneee! Ah my birthday is tomorrow on Monday (I hate Mondays.)...time goes by quickly! Anyways thank you for being patient! Hope everyone have a good day!**

 **-Fancybunny**


	6. An evening walk

**An evening walk**

* * *

A text message from her cell phone got her attention. The teenager remains in her room for today. Her best friends, Saito and Aoi sleep on their beds that were in the opposite side of her bed. Sitting on a comfortable cushion at a good distance from her television, Ume's eyes left her television screen. She clicks her tongue in annoyance when she pause her game on the playstation four. _'Who is messaging me now?'_ She thought. Ume looks down at her right side of her leg to find her cell phone resting on the floor. Slowly, she puts down her controller in front of her to trade for her cell. Flipping opening her cell, she reads a message from Takao.

 **"Hey, Ume-chan! Are you free now? - from Ta-Kun."**

Ume reads the message again then responds, **"I guess, I'm just playing a game for now. – Ume –chan."**

 **"Get ready then! I'm at your front door now, come outside! (^ w^) –From Ta-kun."** After she finishes reading the latest message from Takao, the doorbell rings throughout the household. Ume drops her head down then let out a sigh. Another ring from Takao then she stands up from her cushion to walk to the front door. "Alright…alright. I'm coming!" Ume said out loud. Her dogs quickly snap their heads up to follow Ume.

* * *

Peeking through the tiny hole on the front door, she saw Takao standing at the door. The male wore a green tee-shirt with brown shorts that reach to his knees. Unlocking the door for Takao, he waves hello to Ume. Ume motions him to enter the household; Takao smiles at her as he closes the door behind him. Ume could hear Aoi's paws clicking on the wooden floor. Her grey eyes widen to see Aoi running towards Takao. She watches Aoi take down a teenager down. Takao fell down to his bottom on the floor. Aoi instantly drowns him with endless kisses. "Ahaha! Aoi-chan! S-stop!" Takao shouts out with a mix of laughter. Saito stand next to Ume's left side, decides to nip Aoi's ear and pulls to calm the happy dog down. Aoi seems to catch his message then cease her excitement as she pulls back from him. Takao could finally stand up then pets on top of Saito's head. "Thanks for the help Saito-kun." He thanks the male dog. With a bark from Saito, Takao turns his attention to Ume.

Ume tries to hold in a smile from that scene but failed. "I almost died from Aoi, Ume-chan!" He cries out. "Well, you didn't visit much that's why Aoi is acting like that." Ume points it out, "Anyways, what are you doing here?" Takao blinks a couple of times then suddenly remembers something.

"Oh right, let's go out and take Saito and Aoi out for a walk." Takao proposed. Ume tries to press questions to Takao but he won't answer any more. She finally agreed then tells Takao to sit on the couch for the moment while she changes into outdoor clothing in her room.

* * *

Wearing a long sleeve blue blouse with black jeans and grey sneakers, Ume walks next to Takao at his right side. The black haired male wanted to walk her dogs and hold on to both of their leather leashes that connect to their dog collars. Saito is able to calm down Aoi's boundless energy. He turns his head to Ume who is quiet since they both left her house. "Sorry for this unexpected visit, Ume-chan." Takao apologize. Ume looks at his eyes, she shakes her head. "Huh? I'm not mad about that." She answers. Takao tries to question her but he was interrupted by Ume.

"I'm just enjoying this walk with you…It is been a long time since we walk together with Aoi and Saito." Ume said. Takao saw a tiny smile on her face with her eyes soften when looking down at her dogs. Without Takao in her life, she wouldn't have her one of her dear companions, Saito.

* * *

 _"Ume-chan! I have your present!" Twelve year old Takao shouted out with a large present in his hands. He carried the box to his female friend who sat on a cushion with a table in front of her. She had a decorated homemade cake from Takao's mother. 'Happy birthday Ume' was written on the white frosting in purple lettering. The flames from twelve candles were blown away by Ume. Both of them celebrate Ume's birthday in Takao's room._

 _Ume pushes away the cake from her to let Takao place her present in front of her. She had a smile on her face, "What is it, Ta-kun? I hope it's not one of your pranks." Ume slightly opens the closed box to peek inside, being cautious. Takao let out a laugh then sit on the cushion across from her, "No it's not that, Ume-chan! Just open your present!" She blinked for a second when she saw something move in the box, slowly lifting the lid up. Ume's grey eyes widen to see a small German shepherd looking up at the twelve year old._

 _"Well you said you wanted a puppy. So I got you this little guy for you." Takao explains with a smile on his face. He watched Ume slowly lift the puppy from the box with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Ta-kun. I love him." She said. Ume held her new friend in her arms, holding him carefully like she is holding glass. The puppy stand on his hind legs in her arms to lick her left cheek. Ume let out a gentle laugh at his affection. She looks at Takao with happiness on her face. "This is the greatest present ever." She comments. "I'm glad you like it. What are you going to name him?" Takao asks. Ume looks down at her sleepy puppy._

 _"I'm not sure yet. Want to help me to find a name for him?" Ume asks. Takao let out a laugh then nods his head, "Alright then."_

* * *

Both of them are now in the park nearby to Ume's neighborhood. Ume took a seat at a wooden bench with Saito and Aoi lay down next to Ume's feet. Takao buys two drinks at a vending machine that is nearby Ume and her friends. She looks up to see Takao with two drinks in his hands. Thanking him, she received a can of soft drink. Takao took a seat on the bench at her left side. Both of them open their cans of soft drink to take a sip from it.

"So, any reason why you want to take a walk?" Ume asks. Takao let out a laugh, "Do I need a reason to visit my childhood friend?"

Ume gave him a small smile, "I suppose not. Saito and Aoi miss you since you are busy with school and basketball." Saito lift his head up to look at Takao. The black hair male have a grin on his face then scratches the back of Saito's left ear. In response, Saito let out a happy bark and press his wet nose to Takao's hand. Aoi let out a short whine then joins in with Saito, wanting attention also. Ume grabs Takao's drink from his hand, to avoid dropping it by accident. She watches Takao interact with both dogs. "Alright guys. You should let me talk to your mom." Takao said. Ume's cheeks felt warm since she heard his comment. Both dogs seem to leave Takao alone for now as they lay down under the park bench.

"Please don't call me mom…Ta-kun." Ume said. Takao leans back on his seat then turns his attention to her. "Why not? You are their mom and I'm the dad." Takao lets out a laugh. Ume's heart seems to pound a bit faster. She lets out a sigh with her cheeks growing warmer. "Ta-kun, you should think before saying it out loud." Ume mumbles out. Takao pulls her into a side hug, pressing her left shoulder to his right shoulder with each other. Takao points at himself. "It is the truth though. Don't worry Ume-chan! I will visit you and our 'kids' in the weekends or when I'm free again." He promises her.

Ume let out a tired sigh, _'I think my heart can't take this…'. _ She looks at Takao's eyes then pinches his right cheek. "You better hold on to that promise then." Ume said. She smiles when Takao lets out a whine and pleas to let go of his cheek. Taking advantage of this moment, Ume playfully pinches both of his cheeks. Takao struggles to talk with his cheeks in Ume's clutches. After letting go of Takao's cheeks, both of them were silent then laugh out when they saw each other's blank stares.

 _'I don't mind if you are busy. Every time you visit, it makes me happy always.'_ She thought.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright! Another chapter is done! Sorry if I fail making fluff, I'm practicing and trying to improve myself! I hope this fanfiction is entertaining for you. Thank you for taking your time to read this! Please be patient for another chapter of Kuroko no Basket. Free hugs for everyone and I hope you have a good day!**

 **-Fancybunny**


	7. Seirin verses Kaijo

**Seirin verses Kaijo**

* * *

Bored out of her mind, Ume is curious about Seirin's practice match against Kise's school, Kaijo. Checking the time on her cell phone, she shrugs her shoulders. _'Might as well…I have nothing to do.'_ She thought. Ume quickly clean up and change for going outside. With a leather messenger bag on her left shoulder, she grabs her wallet and red headphones.

* * *

Ume stood still at the train; her red headphones play her songs from her mp3 player in her pocket. She ignores the large crowd of people in the train, waiting for her stop. Her hands remove her headphones from her ears to listen to the announcement of the next stop. Ume waited for the train to have a complete stop. The train doors open in front of her to let Ume get out of the crowded train. She looks at the map of the area to see the road that leads to Kise's school.

The teen took a picture of the map on her cell phone before leaving the train station. She held her leather messenger bag close to her side. Ume's headphones hung around her neck when she walks on the sidewalk. Ume let out a soft sigh when remembering her last conversation with Kise.

 _'I wonder who will win the match?'_ She thought.

Before thinking about the possibilities of the match, Ume found herself standing in front of the gate of Kise's school. She enters school grounds to see a couple male students jogging past her.

"Hurry up or we are going to miss the match!" One male student shouts at his friend who is jogging after him. His friend grumbles to himself, "The basketball match against Seirin hasn't started yet!"

 _'Basketball match? I guess it's going to start soon.'_ Ume thought. Slowly walking to the path where the students run too, Ume heard cries of females from one building. She let out a quiet noise of annoyance.

 _'If anything else fails, listen for the cries of fangirls. They will lead to Kise-san.'_ She thought. Ume took the stairs that leads to the building. She opens the door to see the court being used by the basketball players. Ume looks down at the players, ignoring the male students whispering a couple of steps away from her.

From the first level, she could hear Kise's fans cheering for him. Kise stand from the court, wave hello to his fans. Ume hid a smile on her face when one of Kise's team mates kick Kise's back. The whistle rings in the court to start the game between two schools.

Ume raises an eyebrow when Kise slams the basketball into the hoop. Her eyes focus on the quiet male, Kuroko who past the opponent's defense with ease. _'I wonder why Kuroko-san could do that. Doesn't anyone notice him?'_ Ume thought to herself. She silently watches the game to see everyone trying to rack up points for their team. She places her head on her right hand to see the ball being passed around by Kuroko _. 'Hmph, I guess those guys are blind to see Kuroko. It is obvious to see that blue hair from afar. '_ She comments in her head. Her grey eyes look at the score board.

 **22 – 25**

She watches the game have a short break by Seirin. "With that type of speed in the game…I guess Seirin doesn't have that stamina like Kaijo." Ume whispers. She saw Kise stand up from his seat when the whistle rings again. The blonde model looks around for a second to look at the crowd. Ume blinks for a second. Kise's eyes make eye contact with her when he saw her on the second level. His eyes seem to sparkle for a second when seeing a familiar face from the crowd. Kise looks away from her when his teammate calls for him.

Ume watches Seirin slowly gaining up on Kaijo. Her eyes saw Kuroko and Kagami's teamwork. A small smile on her face as Kagami scores a point for Seirin. _'Even copycats have a weakness…interesting.'_ She thought. In a moment of hesitation from Kise gave Kuroko an advantage to steal to ball from his grasp. Kise have the ball in his hand as he throws the ball into the hoop. Kagami quickly blocks Kise's shoot by using Kuroko as leverage. Ume's eye widen when Kise hit Kuroko's head.

She watches Kuroko drops down on the ground from being lightheaded. "I wonder how they will handle the match without Kuroko-san." She mumbles to herself.

 **34-39**

She watches one of the Seirin members score a point for them. Ume pulls out of her cell phone from her bag to see no notifications. _'Strange…Ta-kun usually messages me._ ' She held a small frown on her face. Looking away from her cell phone screen to look at court, Ume saw Kuroko join in the game. Slowly, the score for Seirin is catching up to Kaijo.

 **80 – 82**

When another score for Seirin is counted, both teams are tied by 82. Suddenly, Ume felt a chill down her spine when looking at Kise. Kise rushes past Kuroko with ease, he avoids Kuroko's steal by passing the ball to his other hand. With a great leap, Kise slams the ball into the basket to score two points for Kaijo. Ume watches everyone push themselves further to even the score between them. At the twenty second mark both of them tie again.

 _'This is an all out war for them.'_ She thought.

Ume watches the time tick by to six seconds. Kagami blocks a potiential point for Kaijo and have the ball in his hands. Kuroko and Kagami runs to Kaijo's side, only to be stopped by Kise defending. Kuroko throws the ball to the basket. Kagami jumps up to catch the ball in mid air. Kise tries to defend the basket but Kagami's jump is much higher than Kise's. Kagami uses an alley-oop to score the last point.

The gym becomes silent to see the points, **100 – 98**. Seirin won the match against Kaijo. Kagami let out a shout of victory as the team smiles. The teen's attention is on Kise who remains still. _'I wonder what happened earlier…'_ She thought of Kise's moment in the court. Ume tries to ignore the goose bumps on her arms when she tries to forget about it. The teen looks down to see Kise trying to wipe away tears from his eyes. She heard the group of males talking.

"Is Kise crying?" The first male comments.

"I know it is frustrating but it's just a practice game." The second male said. Ume lets out a sigh to put away her cell phone in her pocket. 'I guess it is time to go home.' Ume thought as she left the gym.

At the Kaijo school gates, she saw the sun starting to go down. Stretching her arms to the sky, Ume wore her headphones to walk back to the train station.

* * *

 ** _Next time on Reality is not my thing…_**

 _"Are you serious about this mom?" Ume asks her. Her mother, Masami nods her head. The teen looks down to see three papers lay out in front of her. She felt her blood gone cold when seeing three different schools of student registration._

* * *

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I'm excited for Halloween...even though it's days away *sigh* Thank you all for being patient with me. I hope everyone have an awesome day! I will upload more chapters when I have time from class.**

 **-Fancybunny**


	8. School registration

**School registration**

* * *

Today is a wonderful day for Ume since she spends her time playing her recently purchased game in her psp system. Nothing could ruin her day of relaxation until her mother calls her to the dining room. Ume puts her game away to take a seat at the dining table across her mother.

"Are you serious about this mom?" Ume asks her. Her mother, Masami nods her head. The teen looks down to see three papers lay out in front of her. She felt her blood gone cold when seeing three different schools of student registration. 'Seirin High, Kaijo High, and Shutoku High' she reads quietly.

"I think it would be a great idea to return back to High school. Experience and socialize like other teenagers." Masami comments, the older woman only receives a blank stare from her daughter. "I rather not, it's too much work since other teens seem…dramatic these days." Ume said with a sigh, remembering Kise's personality. Masami glares at her pessimistic daughter.

"At least I'm giving you a chance to pick which high school you want to attend. Personally, I would put you in private school if I had the choice." Masami said with a huff. Everything becomes silent until Ume crosses her arms over her chest, "Let me think about it then…"

"Pick the school you wanted before the end of this week or I will put you in private school without any arguments." Masami said. The meeting between mother and daughter ends after Ume's mother promise.

* * *

Ume lay out the three papers on her table. She sits on one of the cushions to look at the papers. She was greeted by her loyal friends, Aoi and Saito who waited for Ume's return. Aoi barks happily as she gives Ume a kiss on the cheek. Saito glares at Aoi. The female dog backs down to hold in her excitement for now. Ume let Saito laid his head on her lap while Aoi lay down on another cushion across from the coffee table.

"I'm not sure which school to join. I wish I don't have to attend school." Ume mumbles. Aoi stands up to lay her head on the coffee table to look at a concern Ume. She looks at both of her dogs, "Do you know which one I should go?" Saito let out a short gruff as Aoi place her front paws on the table. Aoi leans forward to place her nose on the edge on one paper, pushing it towards her.

"Huh? You think this one is good?" Ume asks as she takes the paper to read it. A bark of happiness from Aoi is her answer.

The thought of going back to school made Ume irritated. The day passes by until it is the final day of the week. Mother and daughter go to the dining room. Both of them take their seats, facing each other. Ume lay down a folder on the table; one paper is the registration of a school she wants to go. She pushes the folder to her mother. "I will attend this school…" Ume only said. Her mother opens the folder to reveal the school logo of Shutoku High.

"Are you sure this is the one you want?" Her mother asks. Her daughter simply nods her head.

* * *

"I can tell this is going to be a pain." Ume mumbles as she adjusts her uniform's collar. The teen already miss her comfortable clothing. She stands in front a mirror to see her Shutoku's uniform. The teen make sure the length of her skirt is an inch above her knee. Her knee length black socks seem to look like tights. On top of her uniform, she wore a zip up sweater. Ume pulls her hair back by her hair band. She grabs her school bag from her bed then left her room.

Walking down to the kitchen, she saw her mother serving breakfast. Ume quickly grabs her food and eats it at the dining room. She thanks her mother and walks to the front door. The teen wears her brown loafers and make sure it is secured. Ume heard her dogs whine behind her. She pets them both then whispers good bye to them.

"Be sure you are behaving today." Ume said in a stern voice. She receives a happy bark from her dogs. "Mom, I'm leaving!" She calls out before leaving home.

* * *

At least Shutoku High is not far away for Ume. She remembers the school gates as she holds her bag at her left side. Her hand held a fold up paper of her schedule. _'Here goes nothing…'_ She thought. Ume let out a heavy breath before entering the school.

 _'I hope...I have Ta-kun or Midorima-san in a couple of my classrooms….' _ She prays silently for her wish to come true.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! I hope everyone is safe and well. I will return when I have time from my daily life. Thank you!**

 **-Fancybunny**


	9. First day of school

**First day of school**

* * *

First class for Ume is Literature at least for her the class is not tough for her in the morning. Standing at the entrance of her first class, she slides the door open to see the class barely starting. The professor is a black haired male in his late forties. He wore a white buttoned up shirt with a red tie tied around the collar. His black pants match his clothing.

"Oh, you must be the new student. My name is Yamamoto, Juro. Call me Yamamoto-sensei." The teacher said with a smile on his face. He motions Ume to face the classroom.

"Please introduce yourself to the class." Yamamoto said. Ume grabs the whiteboard black marker from his hand to write her name on the board. Ume neatly wrote her full name on the white board then turn to the classroom.

"My name is Ichiro, Ume. Please to meet you all." Ume introduces herself in a monotone voice then bows her head to the class. Yamamoto sweat drops at his new student's introduction. He faces the classroom, "Well, any volunteers to show Ichiro-san around the school?" He asks. One hand rises up to catch his attention.

"Ah Midorima-san, thank you for volunteering." Yamamoto thanks him then turns to Ume. "Take a seat next to Midorima-san and be sure to take out your notebooks for today's lesson." Ume nods then walks to the empty desk that is at Midorima's left desk. She nods her head once to Midorima, silently greeting him. Midorima pushes up his glasses in reply. Class starts for them when they took out their notebooks to write down the lesson for the day.

The bell rings for the end of the first class. Ume and the rest of the students pack up their things to go to second period. She felt a presence next to her to make her look up to see Midorina waiting for her. Ume could see Midorina holding a wooden bear statue in his hands.

"Oha Asa said that Cancer's luck is good, today's lucky item is a wooden bear." Midorina explains. Ume nods in understanding. Both of them left the room, Ume pulls out her class schedule from her bag.

"Midorina-san, do you know where is this class?" Ume asks, showing her schedule to him. Midorina look a moment to read the paper then nods.

"We shared the same Chemistry and Mathematics class with Takao-san." The male student answers. He pushes up his glasses with a single finger. Ume listens to Midorina's directions that lead her to the second classroom, English. Both of them part ways to go to their second class before they are late.

* * *

Ume looks up from her notebook when she heard the bell for lunch break. Putting her stuff away in her bag, students follow suit and left class to get their food. The gray hair student let out a quiet yawn and silently left the class to look for a spot to eat her lunch.

The female student found a spot when leaving the building, a spot under the shade of a tree with little sign of human life. Ume sits under the shade of the tree to pull her packed up lunch from her bag. She took out her metal chopsticks and mutters a word then starts eating. Halfway of eating her piece of cooked chicken, Ume heard her phone's chime that signals a new message. Leaving her chopsticks sitting in her mouth, she quickly grabs her cell phone then looks at the new message. A sweat falls on her cheek when she saw a message from Takao. Slowly pressing the button to open the message, Ume read the contents of the message.

 **"UME-CHAN! SHIN-CHAN TOLD ME THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SHUTOKU! WHERE ARE YOU?! (; 3 ;) –Ta-Kun."**

 **"…I'm next to an old building behind the school. I'm sitting under the tree… -Ume-chan."**

Ume sends the reply to Takao and resumes eating her lunch. After a few minutes, she finishes eating and puts away her bento box back in her bag. The female student stands up and grabs her bag from the ground to pull it over her left shoulder. Ume pulls out a short novel from her bag to kill some time until lunch is over while standing. She decides to walk back to the school building, while reading. A male voice broke her concentration as she looks up to see her childhood friend running towards her. Ume's eyes widen as Takao stops in front of her. He has a bright smile on his face as he pulls her into a tight hug. She tries her best not to let her face become red.

"I'm happy that you are attending Shutoku High with me! I couldn't believe it when Shin-chan told me about it." Takao exclaims. Ume's cheeks slowly become pink, being close with the male that she cares deeply about. He lets her go from his hug to pull back and looks at her.

"My mom wanted me to go back to school…so I choose Shutoku since you attend here." Ume explains with flushed cheeks. She blinks when seeing Takao still smiling at her.

"Ta-kun?" Ume asks. Takao let out a short laugh, "Oh sorry Ume-chan, I'm just happy that you are here now." Ume let out a soft sigh then smiles at him.

"I guess you are stuck with me then, Ta-kun." Ume jokes.

"I had no problem with that." Takao answers. They look at each other and let out a laugh. Both of them walk back to the school building beside each other. The bell rung to signal the end of lunch.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for another short chapter...I will write more in the future. I hope everyone is happy and safe during break. Thank you for taking your time to read this!**

 **-Fancybunny**


	10. Time between friends

**Time between friends**

* * *

Shutoku High school bell rung for the end of the day, her last classroom is Chemistry. The class has rows of tiles countertops instead of desks with three stools in each table. In her luck, the teacher assigned Ume to an empty seat that is at Takao and Midorina's row.

"Good thing all of us shared a Chemistry class." Takao comments with a smile on his face. Ume nods her head in agreement. The three of them walk out of class with their bags strapped on their shoulders. Ume walks between Midorina and Takao as she looks up at Takao.

"You guys have basketball practice today?" Ume asks.

"Yep, what are you going to do now?" Takao responds. Ume thought for a moment then shrugs her shoulders.

"Probably go home early and do homework."

Takao opens the door for Ume and Midorina to leave the main building. He puts his left arm around Ume's shoulders. He makes a small pout at Ume's plans. "That is no fun, Ume-chan! Stay with us during practice. We can walk you home when we are done." Takao proposes. Ume let out a sigh, knowing he won't let her go home alone. She covers her mouth to let out a fake cough. Her cheeks felt warm.

"Very well, Ta-kun. I will stay if your coach doesn't mind about my intrusion."

Ume bears a tiny smile on her face when she saw Takao's eyes sparkle in happiness. Removing his arm from her shoulder, they arrive at the entrance of the gym. She blinks for a moment when seeing the coach of Shutoku. Takao motions her to enter the gym with them. Ume follows Takao and Midorina inside to see the team greeting the boys. Their coach turns his attention to the three of them. He nods his head towards Ume. Ume bows her head to him in greeting.

"No wonder you look familiar, Ichiro-san." The coach mutters to himself. Takao looks at his friend for an explanation.

"Oh! Nakatani-sensei is my English teacher, Ta-kun." She explains herself. Nakatani frowns at Takao.

"Takao-san. Midorina-san. Go change to your uniforms." Nakatani instructs them. Takao quickly pats on Ume's head and follows Midorina to the change room. Her teacher glances at her then points to the bench.

"Might as well make yourself comfortable." He said. Ume thanks him then took a seat on the bench. She watches the basketball team

* * *

Ume focuses on the game between two teams. They were split up to go against each other. She watches in awe one player who wore number four on his jersey dunks the ball into the basket. "Number four is really strong…" She mutters. "He is probably the captain…" Nakatani who stands beside the bench looks down at her.

"You are right about that." He spoke up then turns back to the game. "What makes you think he is the captain?"

"I'm not sure he carries a certain energy around him like a leader. He is a good player for able to go against two people at once." Ume shrugs her shoulders. Her eyes carefully watch Takao and Midorina's teamwork. She blinks for a moment when she saw Takao throwing the ball behind him to let one of his teammates catch it. _'How does Ta-kun know about him without looking away from his opponent?'_ Ume thought to herself.

"Um…Nakatani-sensei, does Takao-san have something that helps him see the court better?" Ume asks. Nakatani nods his head.

"Yes, Takao-san possesses a special ability called the Hawk Eye. It helps him see the whole court and see the position of the players on the court." Nakatani explains. Ume's eyes seem to sparkle with interest.

"Ta-kun never told me about this when playing basketball. Now I can see why he is a regular…" Ume said. Ume covers her ears before Nakatani's whistle goes off, she scrunches from the echo effect of the gym that makes the whistle be in higher volume. She watches Nakatani blows on his whistle for a short break.

She remains still in her seat when the team grabs their waterbottles from the other side of the bench. Nakatani walks to the captain of the team. Takao approaches her with an opened bottle in his hands. He let out heavy breaths from the workout.

"Did you see me passing the ball to one of my teammates, Ume-chan?" Takao asks with a happy grin on his face.

"Yes, I'm surprised that you have a special skill that helps you in the court." Ume answers. Talking for a short time, Takao turns his head to the court when the whistle blows for the end of break. He places his waterbottle next to Ume and jog back to the court.

"Watch the rest of the match, Ume-chan!" Takao shouts out then returns back to his temporary team.

* * *

Walking out of the gym, Ume leans against the wall to wait for Takao and Midorina to finish changing to their school uniform. She held her bag that is strapped on her right shoulder. Her ears caught the door opened to see Takao and Midorina walking out of the gym. Takao waves to Ume as Midorina adjusts his glasses. The three of them walk out of the school gates to see the familiar bike connected to the cart. Ume tries to talk her way out of riding the cart with Midorina but she was pushed forward by Takao.

"O-oi! Ta-kun!" Ume cries out.

"Come on Ume-chan!" Takao said.

At the end, Ume couldn't argue with the black haired student. She sits silently in the cart while Takao rides the cart through the streets. Ume turns to Midorina. Midorina raises his right eyebrow at her stare.

"What?" He mutters out.

"Forgive me for asking, Midorina-san. Does riding this cart help with Ta-kun's strength and stamina?" Ume asks. Takao spoke up for Midorina.

"We take turns riding it."

Ume remains silent then turns to her childhood friend. _'…I think it is mostly for you Ta-kun.'_ She thought. She watches the people walk along the sidewalk.

"Oh right, do you know which club you are going to join Ume-chan?" Takao changes the subject. Ume let out a small sigh of annoyance.

"Am I required to join one? I rather stay home."

Takao let out a nervous chuckle, "I knew you would say that but you have too if you want to graduate in the future." Ume clicks her tongue then looks up at the sky.

"There is no clubs that really caught my interest." She answers.

"Well…you could be our manag-"Takao suggests.

"I'm fine Ta-kun, thanks for the offer though." Ume interrupts Takao, "I think your team would not agree with your choice." The tone of her voice leaves Takao no chance to change her mind.

* * *

Takao and Ume decides to walk on foot when they dropped off Midorina and his bicycle at his home. They walk together along the sidewalk. Ume remains silent as she stares forward to look anything to interesting. Takao felt a sweat slides down his forehead when he felt uneasy from Ume's energy. _'Ah...Ume-chan is mad at me.'_ Takao thought. Thinking a way to ease the tension, Takao saw a familiar café ahead. An idea went through his head. Ume attempts to walk past the café but a hand grabs her left wrist. She looks back to see Takao with a smile on his face.

"Come on, Ume-chan." He persuades her to enter her favorite café. Ume knew she couldn't say no to his face. She let Takao hold her wrist as they enter the café. Her face comes hot when she felt the space between them is closing in. Takao looks at the menu above the cashier's head, ignoring the fact that Ume is trying to ease her beating heart.

"Ah! All of them sound good." Takao comments then looks down at the flustered female. "What are you going to get, Ume-chan?"

"I would probably order iced coffee with chocolate muffin." Ume responds. Her eyes seem to shine when thinking about her drink and snack. Takao let out a short laugh at her response. The female cashier calls out for the next customer. Takao let go of Ume's wrist when both of them approach the counter. Takao said his order then Ume orders her drink and snack. He paid for both of the orders. In a short time, their orders were called by one of the other workers.

They decide to take a seat at one of the empty booths. Ume sits across with Takao as she took a sip from her drink. Looking at Takao, Ume spoke up.

"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier." Ume apologizes to him. Takao waves his hands.

"It is no problem, Ume-chan. Now then let us enjoy our time of relaxation."

 _'I'm happy that he led me here.'_ She thought. Taking a sip from her drink, a sudden thought went through her mind. _'This is almost like…a date.'_ Her eyes widen for a moment as she accidently let her drink went through her airway. Coughing as she beats her chest to breath, Takao quickly rush to her aid. Her cough subsided as she looks at Takao. Her face is warm when looking at him.

"Are you okay, Ume-chan?" Takao asks. Ume nods her head, not able to speak for a moment.

"Ah, you worried me for a second." He mutters to himself. Both of them left the café when they finish their drinks. They walk next to each other along the way to her neighborhood. Ume sneaks a peek at Takao. She looks ahead to avoid eye contact when Takao looks down at her. They arrived at Ume's home.

"Thanks for taking me home, Ta-kun." Ume said.

"It's no problem. I will see you tomorrow." Takao replies with a smile on his face. He gave her a brief hug, both of them say their goodbyes as they part ways.

* * *

 **A/N: Ah, I wrote too much fluff! (Too much for my little heart.) So another chapter is finished for Kuroko no Basket. I hope everyone is having a great day.**

 **-Fancybunny**


	11. No way!

**No Way!**

* * *

Ever since Ume enrolled in Shutoku High School, Takao is attach to the hip with her. She cannot control her poor heart when he greets her with his signature hug. At lunch time, he drags Midorina with him so the three of them eat together. Usually, Ume apologizes to the green haired student for forcing him to eat with them. Midorina waves off her apologizes as he always replies, "That idiot shouldn't make you apologize for him." For some reason, she has the feeling that he doesn't mind their company as Takao teases him about it. She stops Takao from further teasing before Midorina decides to end his life early if it gets out of hand.

Ume stretches her arms up towards the sky when Takao turns to her. "Tired already, Ume-chan?" Takao asks with a grin on his face. Midorina looks straight forward, walking past the students. The three of them walk through the doorway to exit the school building.

"I couldn't sleep last night." Ume answers. She rolls her neck side to side, attempting to undo any stiff muscles. Takao chuckles to himself as he wraps his right arm over her shoulders, pulling her close. "Did you buy a new game already hmmm?" Takao asks. She flinches from his question, knowing he hit the target. He let out a laugh, "I knew you so well. You shouldn't play your games during the school week. It will be bad for your health. I don't want Ume-chan to be sick~"

Ume's cheek flushes into a dark pink color as she looks away in embarrassment. "Yeah…" Midorina looks at the childhood friends as he pushes up his glasses. "Games?" He asks. Takao turns his attention to Midorina as he releases Ume from his grasp.

"Ume-chan has a bad habit of staying up late to play new released video games. She is really good at playing strategy-based games. I guess it is my fault to introduce them to her…" Takao explains. Ume turns to the male students with a frown on her face.

"Come on guys or you are going to be late for practice." Ume states the obvious. The three of them shortly arrive at the gym. Ume sits on the bench, saying hello to her teacher, Nakatani-sensei. He stood from his seat as nods his head in greetings. Both of them watch in silence as the captain of the Shutoku team took charge of today's exercise.

She was distracted until she saw something white blocking her vision. Ume flinches for a second from the unsuspecting object. Looking up she saw Nakatani still looking at the court with his arm stretch out to her. Blinking for moment, Ume pulls her head back to see the white object to be a piece of paper. The female took the paper from his hands.

"…Basketball Manager Registration…?" She reads the paper quietly.

"You aren't in any clubs yet, Ichiro-san." Nakatani said, looking at her. Ume bears a small frown on her face, knowing he hit the mark.

"Yes, I still…haven't decided." Ume answers, rubbing the back of her head.

"I see, the manager of the basketball team is open for a while." He said, "Takao-san recommend that you would be a good manager for the team."

"Ah…I will think about it, Nakatani-sensei. Probably there are other people who want to sign up and do a better job than me." Ume explains.

"Very well." The coach nods his head.

* * *

"Here you go, Ume-chan." Takao said with a smile on his face.

He hands Ume her cold treat, a single scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a cone. She thanks the male as Takao stand beside her with his vanilla ice cream. They stand next to the ice-cream parlor after Takao's basketball practice. Both of them start licking on their treat. They watch people walk past them, doing their own business as usual.

Ume looks at the registration paper in her other hand while eating her ice cream. "Ah you got the paper from Nakatani-sensei?" Takao asks when seeing the paper in Ume's hand.

"Yeah. You recommend me to him." Ume answers and turns her head to him. Takao let out a nervous laugh when feeling Ume's stare on him. After a moment of silence, she shrugs her shoulders.

"Hm… I will think about it. Probably someone else will be the basketball manager." Ume said.

"Hah?! Come on Ume-chan, you got to be our manager! We will have more time together~" Takao persuade. Ume's cheeks become warm at the thought as she turns away from him. Takao watches Ume quickly walking away from him.

"H-Hey Ume-chan! Wait for me!" Takao shouts out as he quickly jogs after her. The people who heard Takao's shout turn their heads to see the female student trying to jog from the student who is still chasing her.

"O-Oi! Ume-chan! Is it something I said?!"

"I- I changed my mind! Find someone else to be Shutoku's basketball manager!"

"Wait Ume-chan! Don't change your mind!"

* * *

 **Extras: Dogs**

Ume stands at the front door of her home, holding two leashes in her hand. "Saito! Aoi! Time for your walk!" She calls out her canine friends while tying her shoelace into a doubt knot. Her back faced the inside of her home. Her ears could hear her dogs' paws clicking against the wooden floor of her home until it completely stops. She turns her head to see Saito and Aoi sitting with smiles on their faces. Ume connects their leashes to the collars and opens the front door to the outside world.

She securely wraps her hands on both of their leaches and closes the door behind her when they left her home. After a few minutes of walking, Ume walks her canine friends throughout the neighborhood park. They walk past the park's basketball court to see a familiar red haired male throwing his basketball through the hoop. Deciding to say hello to the male, Ume walk towards the red haired student.

"Kagami-san." Ume calls out to him. Kagami pauses to see Ume standing at the sidelines. "Oi! Ichi-san!" He calls out in response. He waves to her but suddenly turns pale when seeing two canines to her side. Ume walks towards Kagami who jumps back when she got closer. She was confused of Kagami's strange behavior. Taking another step with her dogs causes Kagami to fall on his bottom; he tries to form words but stutters.

"I-I-I-Ichi-san! What are those?!" He cries out while pointing at Aoi and Saito. Aoi barks happily when seeing a new person in sight. She couldn't form words at the sight of a tall student scared out of his pants. Ume becomes silent when seeing Kagami slowly crawling away from them. After seeing his pale face, she decides to stay at her place. "Kagami? Are you alright?" Ume asks. Saito nips Aoi's ear when Aoi tries to run towards Kagami for a pat on the head. Ume orders her dogs to sit down and stay on their place. She thanks Saito for controlling Aoi's energetic personality.

"S-Stay away!" Kagami cried out. Suddenly two things click in her head.

"…Kagami-san…Are you scared of dogs…?" Ume asks. Kagami shivers in his spot, looking at Aoi and Saito with fear in his eyes. "H-hai…" Kagami stutters out a reply.

"…Oh." Ume only said.

On her walk, Ume learns more about Kagami…his fear of dogs.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm alive! Sorry for the lack of updates, I had been distracted with school and work...Forgive me! I will be slow with updates so be patient with me!**

 **-Fancybunny**


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